Christmas Party
by Ember Mage
Summary: Doremi's Christmas party may not seem enough to cheer her up as a bunch of kids discuss about the mistletoe. Some Kotadore.


**Disclaimer:** Ojamajo Doremi/Ojyamajyo Doremi/Magical Doremi/Xiao Muo Nu Doremi/Doremi/Magica Doremi/Ma che magie Doremi/Doredo Doremi is by Takanashi Shizue and Todo Izumi, published by Toei Animation, aired by ABC, Fox Kids, and TV Asahi, and soon to be coming to America, dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment. I'm not affiliated with them, no money is made out of this.  
  
**Author's note:** I was meaning to upload it near Christmas but failed. But enjoy the story, especially for Kotake/Doremi fans!  
  
  
  
**Christmas Party  
  
By Chibi Momoko aka Ming Yi**  
  
  
  
Harukaze Doremi stared around at her guests, smiling with satisfication at the small Christmas party she threw. Many friends from Misora Junior High arrived in time, now scattered across her living room. Both of her parents were around the household somewhere - probably in the kitchen, producing snacks for the eagerly joyful guests. Pop had been instructed strictly not to crash the party, but as fate would have had it, Pop was invited to a friend's house.   
  
Hazuki was the only person in the party that didn't go to Misora Junior High, but the kids knew her as the sweet sensible girl who had gone to their school back in their elementary days. She was intently talking to Marina, then slid over to the couch and started reading. Doremi grimaced at the thought of reading a book on a holiday - probably the last thing she'd ever do in her life. Sighing contently, she stared out the window, watching the fog cover up distant views. The rest of the girls didn't come to the party. Aiko, down in Naniwa, had promised to come, but she never arrived. Minutes later, she had phoned Doremi, apologizing that she had to help her mother nurse some sick seniors.   
  
Onpu obviously wouldn't have made it to the party, even if she had tried. Doremi knew about her heavy schedule with interviews, recordings, concerts, movies, and music videos. Sadly, today was the day of Onpu's movie premiere, and of course, Onpu had to go. She couldn't even spare a phone call because her mother wouldn't let her. Momoko, on the other hand, complained that her parents refused to buy an airplane ticket to Misora, and that since the MAHO-Dou was locked up, she couldn't go through Majomonro's sweet shop.   
  
Doremi clutched her cup of hot chocolate tightly, watching her breath plaster against the glass window. She pulled away, suddenly wondering why she wasn't so talkative. If only all of her witch apprentice friends were here to share the feeling. But there was Hazuki, one of the Ojamajo. Doremi smiled and took a seat next to Hazuki.   
  
"Hey, Hazuki-chan!" grinned Doremi.   
  
"Oh, hello, Doremi-chan,"answered Hazuki, turning her attention away from her book. She pushed up the nose of her glasses. "What's going on?"   
  
"Oh, nothing,"replied Doremi. "I was just thinking that it would be better if he rest of the gang were here."   
  
Hazuki shrugged. "They're here... in spirit, that is. I'm sure Hana-chan is also having a swell time."   
  
"I hope so." Doremi shrugged and imagined what her friend would say at a moment like this.   
  
~*~   
  
"Merry Christmas, Majorika!" cried Hana-chan, clasping a flower between her chubby baby hands.   
  
"Oh, thank you, Hana-chan,"said Majorika, wide-eyed with glee. The flower squirted water in her face.   
  
Hana-chan laughed and pointed at the old witch. "Hana-chan tricked Majorika!"   
  
"STUPID BABY!" roared Majorika, chasing the infant (who was now escaping by riding on her trusty elephant Pao-chan), forgetting that Hana-chan was the future ruler of the Majokai.   
  
~*~   
  
"Ehe..." Doremi shuddered at the thought of Hana-chan's naivety.   
  
Hazuki giggled and stood up. "I'm going to go get some more refreshments. Want something?"   
  
"Sure,"replied Doremi cheerfully. "How about some marshmellows for my beverage?"   
  
"Great." Hazuki disappeared out of the living room. Doremi leaned back and stared at the Christmas decorations her family had draped around. Girls stood around the Christmas tree, admiring the display. Modest boys avoided the mistletoe as if it were some horrible disease. The SOS trio kept trying to catch one of the girls under the mistletoe, but the females would avoid them. Girls tried to steal kisses with Ogura, trying to sweet-talk him to follow him. Doremi scoffed.   
  
Tamaki strode over to Doremi. "Great party, Harukaze-san,"she commented, twirling by the mistletoe, with Shimakura trailing behind, taking memorable photos of the party.   
  
"Thanks,"replied Doremi, waving her hand dismissively. "Enjoy the party."   
  
"Of course I will!" trumpeted Tamaki, flipping her blond hair over a shoulder. Doremi giggled to herself and shook her head. Tamaki always acted like she was a classy princess. Needless to say, she could always see through that mask of high-classmanship.   
  
Hazuki came back with a cup of marshmellows. "Here,"she instructed, motioning Doremi to hand over her styrofoam cup. Hazuki quickly dumped the contents of the cup into Doremi's.   
  
"Thanks, Hazuki-chan!" cried Doremi, her eyes twinkling.   
  
Hazuki smiled. "It's the least I could do for all the things you did to me." She leaned forward and added in a low whisper,"Introducing me to magic and that."   
  
"Oh, it's nothing, really." Doremi took a sip from her drink. "Say, aren't you going to catch Yada-kun under the mistletoe?"   
  
Heat immediately flushed to Hazuki's face. "Um... no, why do you ask?"   
  
Doremi patted Hazuki's shoulder comfortingly. "Hazuki-chan, Hazuki-chan, Hazuki-chan. Come on, why won't you at least go and kiss him? It's no surprise to us anyway, all of us except him know that you've had a crush on him for ages."   
  
Hazuki turned redder. "Doremi-chan!" she hissed embarrassingly.   
  
Doremi snickered and covered her mouth. "I'm sorry. I'll stop."   
  
Nanoko jumped to the girls and interrupted their conversation. "Did you see what happened over by the mistletoe?!"   
  
Doremi shook her head. "No. What happened?"   
  
Nanoko gasped, pointing at the plant hanging above the doorway, where a hot-headed Tamaki was scolding at the hot-chocolate-soaked SOS trio, with Shimakura leaping around, snapping shots of Tamaki and the SOS trio at different angles. "The SOS trio tried to kiss Reika-chan, and she screamed and dumped hot chocolate over them!"   
  
Hazuki covered her mouth to restrain her from laughing too hard, but she failed to do so and fell to her knees giggling.   
  
Doremi's eyes flew wide. "Oh, really? Wow, I've never imagined Tamaki doing that!"   
  
Many kids were applauding, and Tamaki took notice of it. Reality of the crowd around her began to sink into her. Smiling, the blonde took bows, and then strolled off to flirt with some of the boys she preferred to be of her level. Nanoko disappeared to chat with her other group of friends.   
  
"Hey, Doremi-chan, think you can catch Kotake-kun under the mistletoe?" teased Hazuki, grinning widely.   
  
Doremi almost dropped her cup. "What? No way! Why would I ever bother catching that jerk under that thing?" She tossed her head aside, turning red like Hazuki did previously. She spotted the soccer player on the sofa, cracking up with the rest of the boys. She eyed him and grinned sheepishly.   
  
A squeal from the girls interrupted the two again. Nanoko dashed back and cried,"Did you see what happened? Marina-chan kissed Kimura-kun!"   
  
"She did?!" cried Doremi and Hazuki in unison, amazed with disbelief at what their shy friend did.   
  
Nanoko nodded, still jumping. "On the lips! It was sooooo sweet! I'm proud of Marina-chan."   
  
The group brought their attentioned to the dark haired gardener, who was managing a timid and weak smile as a group of girls swarmed over her, cooing. They looked over at Kimura, who was blushing so hard his face overrode the color of tomatos. Most of the boys were slapping Kimura's back, congratulating him.   
  
"Poor, poor Kimura-kun,"commented Hazuki with a wistful sigh, as the couple was trying to get the others around them to be quiet and not to embarrass them. She noticed Doremi's cup was almost empty, except for a couple of miniature marshmellows that bobbed on the surface. "Would you like some more hot chocolate?"   
  
Doremi nodded. "Sure, thanks. Oh, and could you get me one of those sugar-powdered brownies you made?"   
  
Hazuki's smile brightened merrily. "I will." She slipped into the kitchen with Doremi's white cup, and Nanoko departed from them again. Doremi couldn't help but steal another glance at Kotake, who was currently giving Kimura a noogie. Poor, poor Kimura. Doremi chuckled at him.   
  
She then noticed something. Hazuki. Hazuki was behind a wall, but Doremi could still see parts of her back. _What is Hazuki doing?_ Doremi wondered. A nervous laugh came out from her best friend, and she came back to Doremi with the food requested, except Hazuki was slightly red.   
  
"So, what happened?" asked Doremi suspiciously.   
  
"Ah! Nothing happened!" panicked Hazuki. Doremi took the cup and crossed her arms.   
  
"Tell me,"she urged, taking a slurp and nudging Hazuki with her elbow.   
  
"What?"   
  
"Tell me."   
  
"What do you mean?" Hazuki took a step back defiantly. If Onpu were here, she would have teased Hazuki more.   
  
"You're hiding something, otherwise you wouldn't blink that much. Tell me."   
  
"Eh...." Hazuki shuddered, but someone tapped her shoulder.   
  
"Yah! I didn't do it!" she yelped randomly, twisting around. Her face softened when she saw the person behind her. "Oh, Masaru-kun."   
  
"Fujiwara, do you want to go outside for a minute?" asked Yada in his dull voice.   
  
Hazuki turned redder. "Oh, um... sure, I mean, yes... I mean..... uh...."   
  
"Ohhhhh,"muttered Doremi, raising an eyebrow at her friend. Yada must have kissed Hazuki at the refreshment stand! No wonder.... Doremi nodded and winked as if saying,"Good job!"   
  
The couple disappeared. Doremi drank from her cup again, but then realized Hazuki forgot to fetch her the brownie. Oh, well. She'd have to do it by herself. She made her way through noisy groups of kids deeply involved in a conversation, and reached the kitchen. One brownie left. Shrugging, the girl stuck her hand out to pick up the treat, when her hand brushed someone else's.   
  
"Ah! Kotake!" cried a shocked Doremi, withdrawing her hand as if Kotake was a zombie.   
  
"Doji-mi!" yelped Kotake, surprised also.   
  
Doremi looked wildly around to see if her parents were there, which, oddly, they were not. Doremi took a deep breath, but sputtered,"I'm sorry. Would you like to have it instead?"   
  
"No, no, you have it,"said Kotake coolly.   
  
"I'm giving it to you." Doremi placed her hands on her hips.   
  
"Well, I'm returning it,"shot back Koake.   
  
"Are you sure?"   
  
"Yeah, it's yours."   
  
"How about we split it?" suggested Doremi. Kotake nodded gradually.   
  
Doremi examined where the middle point should be, and carefully ripped apart the cake. She grabbed one half with a napkin for herself, and left the other one on the plate for Kotake.   
  
"Thanks,"said Kotake, and sheepishly took the brownie. He flashed a smile at Doremi, then leaned over and kissed her cheek.   
  
Doremi turned red, and probably outdid the color of her hair. Turning to the boy, she questioned,"Why did you do that?"   
  
Kotake shrugged. "Everyone else was around the mistletoe. Couldn't have everyone jumping at us."   
  
Doremi giggled nervously. "Yeah, guess you're right. Merry Christmas, Kotake-kun."   
  
"Same to you." The cute grin came back onto Kotake's face.   
  
Doremi let out a contented sigh, and was suenly thankful for all the goodness of her life and her friends. But most of all, fate. Though almost all the Ojamajo-tachi were not present at the party, Doremi still felt that she just aw them yesterday, and could still even hear a trace of their whispers. She reached out and firmly twirled her fingers around Kotake's hand, and they walked right back into her living room to enjoy the rest of the party. 


End file.
